3 ms·
The Kessler Syndrome doesn’t apply at Starlink’s altitude.
by simondotau 5y ago
The Kessler Syndrome doesn’t apply at Starlink’s altitude.
- buzzwordninja 5y agoMy knowledge basically ends at knowing of the concept, so can you elaborate how/why it is different in different orbits?
- kitsunesoba 5y agoThe lower the orbit, the more quickly objects de-orbit. This is especially true of the lowest LEO orbits that Starlink sits in, where atmospheric drag also enters the picture. Worst case scenario, a totally dead satellite will deorbit on its own in a couple of years and they can very easily suicide if required to avoid catastrophe.
- throwaway2048 5y agocollisions can easily push things into higher orbits.
- aidenn0 5y agoI'm not a rocket scientist, but this seems unlikely; sure two large satellites colliding could create smaller debris with a much higher apogee, but it seems to me that the perigee would not increase, so it would still spend a significant fraction of its orbit in atmospheric drag.
- throwaway2048 5y agobut could easily collide with something at apogee, especially if the collision lead to a cascading style kessler syndrome event.